The Songbird Series
by Ryoko Porter
Summary: Robin and Raven must fight the forces of evil together, which in turn brings them closer together. RobinxRavenxNightwing, NO FLAMES FOR THE PAIRING! this is the repost for When Two Became One and Nothing Compairs to You
1. When Two Become One 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans; all rights are reserved by DC Comics.

The Songbirds Series

By Ryoko Porter

When Two Become One

Part One – Apart

Trigon was gone, his threat history to the world and to the Teen Titans. With only a few days gone by, the Titans worked on getting past the ordeal. The repairs to the tower were minimal, but they took the time to heighten the security. And as if the villains had some sort of decants, there were no crimes that called for their specialties.

Each of the Titans dealt with the ordeal in their own ways. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all continued on as if nothing more than a hard battle had occurred. They worked hard to improve whatever needed to be improved. But honestly they worked harder to enjoy life even more than they had been before. Robin was a bit of a mystery to the others, though not horribly so. He was even more aloof than usual, much like when he was on a "Slade binge". The other Titans figured that he had been affected slightly by whatever had happened when he went in search for Raven. Understandable since he'd gone to hell and back.

However it was unexpected how Raven would react to the battle with her father. They of course anticipated her to change in some way, but nothing so extreme as abandoning her own room. She spent all her time in the common room, close to the others. It seemed that she was afraid of being alone, or at least enjoyed being with her friends like she never had. But what was even stranger were her new sleeping habits, or at least the others assumed that they were "new" sleeping habits. She now slept through the day, waking only around six or seven at night. Each day camped out on the couch, content to be near to her friends yet still ignoring them.

Raven's odd and constant presence was not the strangest shift in her habits though. Her most shocking new habit was discovered one morning not six days after Trigon had disappeared. Beast Boy was quite happy one morning as he came into the kitchen for breakfast, when Raven was not present. He boasted that he'd found her in his arms when he'd awoken, and that she was still in his bed asleep. The others would not believe his claims until they all went and snuck a peak at her curled up on his bed. Beast Boy's excitement wasn't to last though, as Cyborg admitted that he'd found her curled against him in his "bed" a couple of days before. When she later returned to the common room, none of them was bold enough to ask her about it.

A couple of days after Beast Boy's admission, Starfire related to the others of how Raven had entered her bed the night before. Of course being teenage boys, Beast Boy and Cyborg commented on how "hot" that it was. But it made them more curious and observing of her sleeping habits. The girls never were close together when they slept in the same bed. With Cyborg, Raven would always sleep almost atop him in consideration of space. And Beast Boy would always be spooning her when he "had" her.

There were days when they would come into the common room, and Raven would already be asleep on the couch. This of course confused the three inquisitive Titans to no ends. Was she spending the night alone on those nights before they found her? Or was she leaving their rooms before they awoke?

What they never guessed was that every time they found her on the couch in the morning, she'd spent the night before with Robin. Unlike the others, Robin never spoke about Raven's new sleeping habits. He acted interested only enough so that the others wouldn't think that he would know anything. On the morning of the day after the Trigon battle, when he'd first discovered her, he was surprised, but there was also sympathy. He understood that she simply needed to be with someone she trusted, a need born of her natural abandonment issues, and the confrontation of he who'd created the feeling. Raven probably wanted to be sure that he would not leave her.

The second night Robin sat awake in his bed, waiting for whatever would occur with Raven. It was around three in the morning when she appeared in his room, looking tired and in need of assurance. The two birds looked at one another for long silent moments, each silently begging for something of the other. It was when Robin made a slight nod of his head that Raven finally came to him. The dark empath then through her cloak off and over a chair, silently moving into his bed and arms. As equals they rested within each other's arms, both glad for the comfort the other would give. Raven soon fell into slumber, her face buried in Robin's neck. Robin though did not sleep that night, but enjoyed the gentle body in his arms.

The two dark warriors lied together for hours of perfect content. It was not until just before the sun would rise that Robin made to get up. Slipping from Raven's grasp, he went to shower and change for the day. When he was finished, Robin took the time to observe the resting woman closely. The lazy fine purple hairs that fell over her face. The gentle rise and fall of her womanly chest. The luxurious curve of her feminine hips. Then as he had the day before, he took her into his arms as a princess. And grabbing her robe, he took her to the common room with him. The other Titan's never suspected a thing; for it was usual for him to be the first awake.

Admittedly Robin was slightly surprised when he learned that Raven was crawling into the other's beds. He tried but couldn't ignore the slight twinge of jealousy he felt. Yet as he observed, he realized that she spent many more nights with him, which filled him with relief. He never before thought that he would ever be so concerned over who Raven was sleeping with. That special place in his heart, Robin had always assumed was reserved for Starfire, just as everyone else had. And some part of him still thought that he would end up with the fiery alien girl.

The first day that they got a call for help was over two weeks after the renewal of the world. It was comparatively small to anything they usually fought, but still was a bit of a challenge. They'd gotten a call about a hostage situation occurring in the "low rent" district of town. When they came to the small strip-mall bank, they realized that the culprits were no great menace that they usually fought. Four poor and desperate men endangered nine innocent people that were in the bank by way of guns. Raven quickly used her power to take their weapons from them, and after seeing the threat of the other Titans, three of the men quickly surrendered. But one who was in a back room, surprised them and shot at the dark warrior. The bullet only grazed Raven's side, but the others had never seen Robin so angry. They too were upset, but Robin raged. When it was over, only one of the wounded had any need for a hospital. Raven only needed a new costume.

'Dude! What was all that about?' Beast Boy questioned later. 'I thought that you'd kill him, you were wailing on him so bad!'

'C'mon man, you know you wanted to do it too,' Cyborg defended.

'Yeah I know, but,' Beast Boy hesitated.

Robin never gave his two debating friends an answer. The girls weren't present, and he still felt no need to explain himself to anyone. It wasn't until later, when Raven came into his resting arms that he said anything at all about the matter. Whispering his reasoning in her ear as she was loosing herself to sleep.

'No one will take away your second chance.'

After a month, Raven reclaimed her room, all but absolutely halting her new sleeping habits. She still slept during the day it seemed, but always it was alone. What was never reviled was her continuing habit of entering Robin's room on the occasional night. The affection between the two grew, but continued to be peculiarly platonic. And even more mysterious was their refusal to ever talk about it with each other. It became an unspoken term to their friendship.

Most of the battles that the Teen Titans fought for a while seemed like child's play. There were times that one of them would get hurt, but nothing felt as hopeless as fighting Trigon had. Each of them had their own adventures, and for a time it seemed that no one would directly threaten Raven's new life.

Usually when there was a squall over the city, the crime was little enough that the police could care for it. Few people, including criminals wanted to be pelted with cold rain. Plus it always made whatever crime it was much harder to pull off. Only the rather stupid, or the insane geniuses would work with bad weather. And even those lawbreakers usually chose a clearer night to work under. But sadly it wouldn't be so on this dark and stormy night.

The night had started out calm at first, with only the usual noises of two particularly loud Titans and the storm outside. Beast Boy and Cyborg played a new game that they'd brought home for the Game-Station earlier. Starfire entertained herself with Silky, feeding the worm some strange mustard concoction she'd made up. And the two wise birds played a quiet, but edgy game of chess. The habit of the Robin and Raven playing chess together had only started a few days before, but it quickly became another thing that the two shared exclusively. It began when Raven had discovered him playing on his computer, and offered a better challenge. And though the games were always played in silence, they both always learned something of the other.

However everyone's games were interrupted by the very abrupt distress of Raven. The empath suddenly tensed up, and looked as if there was a monster in front of her. At first only Robin noticed, but as he asked her if she was all right, the others also took notice of her grief. Then just as sudden as Raven's reaction, the alarms to the city went off. Something was happening in the city that they needed to be apart of.

With the rain, everyone rode in the T-Car, everyone but Raven. She'd altered into her dark bird form and flown off in a hurry. As the other Titans headed into the city as fast as they could, they got a call over the emergency line from the police. The police told them to expect a woman with super-powers terrorizing the west side. And that she was distinctly calling a challenge out to Raven.

They knew that they had arrived at the battleground when a city bus suddenly fell to the road ahead of them. Screeching to a swerving stop, the four quickly exited the vehicle. Looking up they saw their Raven and another woman standing off each other high in the sky. Starfire picked up Cyborg as a green pterodactyl did the same for Robin, flying them up to the roofs of a nearby building.

'So these are the friends that you fought to protect? They don't seem all that special to me,' the new woman commented bitterly. She was pale like Raven, but her long hair was as white as milk. She also wore a costume much like Raven's, but it was white also. The only color she appeared to have were her eyes, which were the same color as Raven's. She was pretty, but seemed to be broken in some way.

'What are you doing here Ghost?' Raven asked in her controlled monotone.

The other woman only smirked. 'Why sister, I'm here to kill you,' she chuckled. The two women appeared to be sizing each other up, as they continued their odd conversation. They circled in the air, every once in a while throwing an object at the other.

'Just because Trigon sired us both, it doesn't make us sisters,' Raven spoke with a bit of edge. 'Now tell me, why are you here Ghost?'

'Like I said sister, I am here to kill you. The price on your head is quite high after all,' Ghost said, but with more power behind her voice. The bizarre woman's mood seemed to shift to the bad, as did her powers. 'Do you know what you did when you banished daddy? He took out his anger on Poltergeist and I!' the woman cried as she threw a car at Raven.

The two "sisters" obviously shared powers, and it made the battle quite a spectacle for the Titans. Raven charged at Ghost, who reacted in the same way, starting a hand-to-hand battle. They both used their dark energy to strengthen their punches and guards. And soon they were diving around in flight, after one another.

'Poltergeist is dead because of you!' Ghost screamed, as they pulled apart for a moment. Tears fell down her white cheeks, though they were hard to see. 'You just had to fight against daddy! You just had to save your world! You just had to piss him off!' she raged even further, her powers growing more and more erratic. 'And do you know the worst part of it? I CAN'T EVEN FUCKING HATE YOU FOR IT!'

Robin and the others were in shock over the turn of events. The battle between the two magic users had lasted well over an hour already, and didn't seem to be slowing down. Even worse was the horrible feeling of uselessness they felt. Raven had long ago told them not to interfere, an order they accepted quite readily. Well, most of them anyway.

When the "sisters" had created a barrier of smoke and debris around their battlefield in the city streets, Robin took it upon himself to enter it. The others tried to stop their brazen friend, but he didn't even turn to hear their complaints. Starfire even tried to catch up to him, but was amazingly blocked by the apparently solid barrier that her friend easily jumped through.

Waiting was all that the three remaining Titans could do. The two boys went to check on their fallen friend, and they themselves reached out to feel the barrier. Cyborg tried to use his equipment to analyze it, but his scanners showed nothing but static. So they stood back to wait and see what would happen. Worried for the safety of their friends, and curious as to how Robin was able to enter.

It wasn't at all long before the barrier fell, and they watched as a white figure flew away. The smoke started to clear, and they saw a distinct figure walk towards them. When Robin was in clear view, Starfire took no time to throw her arms around him.

'Robin! I am so glad to see that you are unharmed!' Star beamed happily, until she noticed that no other was coming out. 'But where is friend Raven?'

End Part 1.


	2. When Two Become One 2

When Two Become One

Part Two – Together

'But where is friend Raven?'

Starfire's words echoed through the minds of Beast Boy and Cyborg. They worried for the safety of their dark friend, who only recently had a chance to enjoy life. And they could not help but wonder if the world would be cruel enough to take that chance away so quickly.

The long hesitation that Robin took to answer did not help to ease any misgivings. He appeared to be troubled, deep in consideration of the event. But oddly enough, he did not seem as though he was mourning over a friend. Prying the suffocating hold of Starfire's arms off of his neck, he smiled ruefully.

'Don't worry, I'm all right,' Robin spoke in a monotone voice, as he waved his left hand that glowed with black energy.

'RAVEN!' the three worried Titans screamed. Their eyes were wide with worried shock, and Starfire seemed to be a bit faint.

'Somewhat,' Robin shrugged, still speaking in Raven's monotone.

Due to the continuing storm, the Titans couldn't continue their much-needed conversation. Instead they all piled into the T-Car, and drove home with no words spoken.

They were all quiet, but Robin almost seemed to be a vacuum for attention. He sat in the passenger seat, absently looking out the window. He was lost to his thoughts of how to explain the phenomena to his friends, and more importantly, to himself. The psyche of Robin still inhabited his body, but there was also the strange feeling of Raven piggybacking inside the back of his mind. Two separate consciousnesses and powers sharing one body, a product of an unexpected attacking spell.

'We have to find Ghost, only she can set this right,' Raven's voice spoke in the foreground of Robin's mind. He could only compare it to someone whispering against his ear.

'Even if we catch her, what makes you think that she would help us?' Robin spoke aloud his response, shocking his friends at the abruptness. He swore that he could feel the amusement of Raven over his silliness.

'I seem to remember us talking about the subject of hope before,' Raven whispered with a hint of disinterest. She knew how to push the "boy wonder's" buttons.

A smirk decorated Robin's lips at Raven's act; he knew what she was doing. Raven always liked to get under his defenses, and honestly he always trusted her to do so. He had been a bit hesitant about her knowing so much about him before, but now with her immediate access to his mind, it was better to simply let it go.

'Couldn't you fix it? Eventually?' he asked without speaking aloud this time.

'Even if I positively knew what spell she used, it would only be reversible by the one who cast it,' Raven stated.

'Fuck,' the two birds both sighed dejectedly together within the one mind.

The rest of the drive went on with Raven creating a psychic barrier between her and Robin's consciousnesses, to give each other privacy. The mental silence gave them time to have their own thoughts. Though their thoughts were unsurprisingly similar, being that they were experiencing the same ridiculous ordeal.

When they finally returned home to the tower, Cyborg took the time to file the police report as the others dried off. It was another hour before everyone was in the common room, physically and mentally ready for an explanation.

Robin stood facing out the window, neither he nor Raven ready to look at their friends. Cyborg stood just behind him, in his usual dominating stance that he used when he wanted an explanation. While Starfire and Beast Boy both sat on the couch, weak from confusion.

'So you gonna tell us what happened?' Cyborg barked after nothing was said for nearly five minutes. The anxiety in his voice made it clear about his worry. The others too expressed their anxiousness to hear the details, their worry even more desperate.

So Raven told them about how Ghost had cast the mysterious spell that hit the two of them and forced her into Robin's body. She also told them of the need to find the culprit if they ever wanted to be themselves again. The account was complicated and had to be reiterated a few times over, but that had been predictable.

It didn't take long for the others to learn the ability to distinguish whom was speaking by the tone of voice. It was odd hearing Robin speak so unemotionally, but it was a clear distinguisher from his normal confident debating satire.

'I got two questions,' Beast Boy finally spoke up, but he was interrupted by the more forceful Cyborg.

'I thought we got Trigon, you know… dead.'

Robin felt the ache of insecurity come from his dark friend. He tried as best he could to give her support without speaking, but sharing a body made it difficult to hold someone. Instead he just closed his eyes and focused comforting feelings to her psyche as she spoke.

'I wasn't able to kill Trigon, nor would I ever be able to. All I was able to do was send him into another dimension and lock him out of this one, so that he can't directly cause any damage to this one,' Raven answered quietly.

'And my second question is,' Beast Boy tried to continue, but again was interrupted, making him hang his ears down like a ignored puppy.

'Who is this Ghost, and the other that she spoke of?' Starfire asked.

'Ghost is my half-sister, I don't know who her mother was. She was born much like me I suppose, but she always had her twin brother Poltergeist with her. They were a team, and from what I've heard lovers also,' Raven said with a bit of distaste in Robin's voice. 'If Trigon really killed him, I'm not surprised that she would come after me. And there's no doubt that he would want me dead, enough to put a bounty on my head.'

'So what happens if we can't get her to give you back your body?' Beast Boy finally asked uninterrupted.

'Either we both keep our identities and continue like we are now…' Raven hesitated in continuing.

'Or?' Robin coxed verbally and mentally.

'Or we loose our identities and our psyches join to become one. Therefore creating a new person all together,' Raven sighed.

The glass window that Robin was facing suddenly exploded.

After having worked to fix the huge window, everyone was exhausted. The events of the day had taken their toll, and each of the Titans just wanted to be alone. None more so than Robin and Raven, who's tired body had fate working against them.

Upon entering Robin's room, they came to their next big challenge to their ordeal. Changing clothing an going to the bathroom, were both habits that could cause a great deal of discomfort between the two. Robin asked if she would put up the psychic barrier between their consciousnesses again, imagining that she would readily accept.

'The psychic barrier only blocks thoughts, Robin. We still share everything else with it up. I still see what you are looking at; hear what you hear, feel what you physically feel. I'll still put it up, but I can't tell you that it's completely full proof,' Raven spoke mentally.

'Couldn't you have just put it up and just not told me that?' Robin asked, more than a bit annoyed at the news.

'It's better to be honest about it now, than for you to sense anything from me later on. You would've eventually figured it out, and there wouldn't necessarily be anything forcing us to get over it,' Raven answered, and Robin had to admit that he agreed to the reasoning. But Raven put up the barrier anyway, to save whatever embarrassment they could.

When Robin finally crawled into bed, he felt the barrier between their two psyches fall. He could sense his friend's fatigue, and wondered how much energy it took her to put up the wall. However with that thought, she hummed an disapproving sound in his head.

'I want to apologize for earlier,' Robin started, but was cut off by a repeat of Raven's disapproving hum.

'You don't have the training that I do, and I would never expect you to not react to the idea of loosing your identity. All that we can do now is try make the best of the situation. I'll teach you how to better use my powers, and we'll try and find Ghost. You're doing pretty well though, only one window after five hours is pretty good,' Raven praised.

Robin smiled a bit bitterly at the comment and their situation. Resting his head on his pulled back hands, he wished that he could hold her as he had so many times before when he was stressed. And some part of him knew that she felt the same way.

After a month of inhabiting one body, little had changed for Robin and Raven. They were both thankful that of anyone, they were sharing a body with the one they were. They were alike enough that few problems arose from disagreements. Only the "little things" ever caused any troubles for them, which were numerous but never made any huge rift. The lack of privacy they quickly got over after they realized that the barrier was causing even more problems. Ironically when they used the barrier to separate themselves, it only pushed Raven deeper within Robin's mind. So now they only used it when the toilet was used.

With training and meditation, Robin was now nearly as good at controlling his emotions as Raven was. However he still acted as he always had, choosing to still act out the emotions. It was rare that anything got destroyed unexpectedly, and Robin could not help his excitement of being able to fly.

In the way of crime, it was a slow month. Only a few robberies by low-level criminals had gotten them out of the tower. It was good, if a bit boring. Though it gave everyone a good chance to adjust the new situation.

Jump City's peaceful days weren't to last though. The Titans got a call late one Saturday night about a break-in on the west side. When they answered the call they found a huge army of Slade's robots, guarding Slade himself.

'What are you up to Slade?' Robin growled.

'Dear Robin, cannot a newly reborn man just enjoy life?' Slade answered in his usual calm voice.

'TITANS GO!' Robin cried, but he couldn't help but smirk at the mentally rolled eyes of Raven. The ability of sharing pictures and such feelings mastered only a few days before.

Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all proceeded to attach the army of robots. The sheer amount of robots caused a bit a trouble for them, but it was a "fun" challenge to pull them out of their slump. Star threw her starbolts everywhere as she always did, diving through the air for no apparent reason. A huge green gorilla and Cyborg stood beside one another as they smashed the oncoming robots, both trying to outdo the other.

Robin straight away ran after Slade who had tried to disappear in the battle. He and Raven had long before decided to hide their shared existence and powers, so Robin used the black energy sparingly. Unfortunately for Slade though was there were perceptive powers that could be used without his knowledge, which Robin put to use in finding and cornering him.

'You're going down Slade!' Robin started the attack on his adversary, throwing kicks and punches. Slade was able to guard, and throw his own fist into Robin's jaw. Reeling back, Robin continued to deal out his own attacks in hopes of bringing the bastard down.

'So tell me, where is our dear friend Raven? I want to thank her for my second chance,' Slade asked almost innocently. Neither of the martial artists noticed the black energy that was starting to surround Robin's hands as they fought. 'If it weren't for her, Terra's plan might've worked. How do you think I should thank her? I've been told that I'm a generous man; maybe I should give her a good time. I'll bet she's a big bang in bed.'

The remaining half of Slade's surviving robots suddenly exploded. Robin raged as he threw himself at Slade. From behind Robin's mask Raven's dark power shown in his eyes. And the hero looked ready to put his magic boosted fist through the villain's chest.

'Robin, control it! You have to control the anger and hate that you feel!' Raven yelled aloud from his lips, she didn't care pay any attention to Slade's widening eye.

'He deserves to die!' Robin growled. His breathing was labored as he'd overpowered his foe to the ground below him. Explosions could be heard all around them, as were the cries from their upset friends.

'Maybe, but not here, not now,' Raven commanded with her secret whisper. Another bigger and closer explosion rocked the ground around them. 'Control it Robin, control it,' she repeatedly whispered in his mind soothingly. She used her own control to create a black entity much like her bird, but in the form of herself, and wrapped its arms around him lovingly. Raven pulled back his emotions into herself, for safekeeping.

End Part 2.


	3. When Two Become One 3

When Two Become One

Part Three – And Together Again

It was another month after the Slade incident that Robin trusted himself enough to join the other Titans in their fight for justice. He just couldn't bring himself to admit that he could be so dangerous before, but the loss of control had opened his eyes severely. He'd always known that Raven's powers were controlled by emotions, but he'd never fully realized until then that the rule would be reversed when control was lost. The powers had taken control of his emotions then, with Raven as the only thing holding him back. He'd never known such a sadistic joy as he felt when he had Slade's neck in his grip. A feeling that scared him beyond anything he'd ever known, which only helped to fuel the dark energy.

When the team had returned home, Robin was in little shape to do anything, forcing Raven to temporarily become the controlling consciousness. It was odd, and Raven was made to ask Cyborg to carry the nearly limp body into Robin's room. Regrettably by asking this, the others decided that it would be best that they stay in the common room. So instead of the isolation that they both so dearly needed, their overprotective friends surrounded them. Unfortunately or fortunately, the combined hyper attentions of Beast Boy and Starfire finally gave Raven enough will power to move Robin's body to the sanctuary of his room. Drained in every way possible, and with Robin's consciousness already nearly asleep, Raven collapsed the drained body into the inviting bed.

They had barely left that bed since then, let alone the room. Raven continued to teach Robin control, as she practiced the art of controlling his body if need be. It had been two months that they were this "one being", and there was little hope of ever returning to normal. So with that dismal fate, they worked to make the best of it.

The other Titan's never saw their friends during this month of transition. They would leave meals at the door, only to find whatever was left and sometimes a note of news later. They worried, both for their friends, and themselves. With the news of the Titans' leader and arguably strongest warrior missing, more criminals came out of dark shadows of the city to cause trouble. At one point Starfire had gotten so desperate that she kicked in the door to Robin's room, only to find Raven's mirror lying on the bed.

It was a Thursday that the Titans were finally graced with the presence of their combined friends once more. It was late, and a heavy storm had dramatically lowered the crime level to almost nothing. It was movie night, and the three were getting ready the usual treats before it started.

'What are we watching?' came a calm and familiar voice, just as they were sitting down. Turning, they saw that though the voice was recognizable, the body was not, except to Starfire. Stronger, more lethal, and covered in black stood their changed friend. 'Call me Nightwing,' he commanded. With the icy blue emblem of a bird on his chest, and a new mask, he smirked.

The others rushed closer to admire his differences. Cyborg and Beast Boy marveled, as Starfire threw her arms around his neck. Nightwing returned the embrace empathetically, but cut it off rather quickly. He ran his hand through his slightly longer hair, the only sign he made of any discomfort about the encounter. But he let his missed friends gush, as they liked.

'So are you like, still two people in there?' Beast Boy asked somewhat timidly, surprising everyone for his perceptiveness.

'I don't know for how long, but yes,' Nightwing sighed heavily. The others could tell that their friends inside were worried, but accepting of their apparent fate.

'So what about looking for this sister of yours Raven?' Cyborg asked.

Nightwing only shook his head solemnly. 'Considering how many vast dimensions that she could be hiding in, there never really was any hope for that.'

It was then that their friends truly started to understand the bleakness of their friends' situation. Not for the words themselves, but for the lack of different speaking habits between their friends. If they were talking in "one voice", there was probably little to go before they were made into one psyche.

'No!' Starfire suddenly cried out with desperate determination. 'I will not loose my Robin! Friends, you were separate in the future!' she cried as she wrapped her arms around Nightwing's neck once again.

'It was you who said that the future could be changed, Starfire,' Nightwing pointed out as he pried her arms off of him once again. 'And I haven't been "your Robin" for some time now. I don't want to hurt you, but I've changed. Even if we somehow get changed back into two people, the "Robin" you know will be gone. I'm sorry,' Nightwing said sadly as he looked into the Tameranian's eyes.

It was later that night, when the rain cleared that the Titans went out for patrol. For the first few hours, they traveled as a group. Starfire and Beast Boy flew, as Cyborg drove the T-Car, and Nightwing ran from roof to roof. But as their friends' attentions were focused on spotting bad guys, Nightwing slipped away to head north.

Somehow the month before, Slade had gotten away with minor injury. So Nightwing had made it "his" personal mission to hunt him down this night. Checking all of the villain's usual haunts, the new hero was sure to cover his own tracks so that the others wouldn't follow him. Nightwing was not going to endanger his and Raven's friends, if he somehow lost control once again. But he would not give up this potentially last chance to get him. Nightwing had no idea if Slade would mean so much if he were to change, and never would he have so much power and determination as he had now.

It was hours before Nightwing found any sign of his adversary, in the form of the sorceress Jinx. She was hanging out at an all-night diner in the bad part of town, sipping on a drink at a booth alone. Knowing that she would not recognize him, he played it as if he were looking for a job when he approached her.

'Hear that you got connections,' he said casually as he boldly sat at her booth. 'I'm new in town, and am looking for some work.'

'Maybe,' she answered skeptically. 'But how do I know that I should trust you?'

'Maybe you shouldn't,' he said as he leaned forward to take her drink to sip from. 'But that's up to your boss.'

'I don't have a "boss",' Jinx said distastefully.

Nightwing just laughed casually as he took out a fresh pack of cigarettes and started to pack them. Then he took the plastic wrapping off, only to offer the first one to the pink haired girl, who gladly accepted. He then took one for himself, and started to search his hidden pockets for a lighter.

'Fuck, you got a light?' he asked with the cigarette sitting in his lips, inwardly grinning at Jinx's annoyed expression. 'Never mind, I found it,' he lit hers first, then his own.

'Look there are two names you gotta know to make it in this town,' Jinx finally said after taking a big drag. 'Brother Blood, who if you've got a place to stay and don't want anything long term, I would suggest avoiding,' she took another drag, apparently waiting for a response.

'Got a place,' Nightwing said absently as he blew smoke from his nose and flicked his cigarette over the ashtray.

'Then I would go to Slade; who's always looking for an apprentice, but good for quick jobs here and there.'

'So where do I find him?' he asked, seemingly paying more attention to his cigarette.

Jinx shrugged. 'Last I heard, he was at the old slaughter-house on the west-side.'

The two then ordered some food, Nightwing not wanting to seem questionable by leaving abruptly. Surprisingly they ate in peace, and with amusing conversation. Jinx had proceeded to warn him about the Teen Titans, insulting them the entire time. Nightwing was actually amused by her comments and played it off jovially, boasting that he "could take them".

When the meal was finished, Nightwing was amazed to see that Jinx paid for her food, and did so too. They then went out together, stopping quietly just outside the door. After a few moments, Nightwing said his "goodbye" and started to head east to not arouse suspicion.

'Listen,' Jinx said suddenly, making him turn his attention to her again. 'You be careful around Slade, he's a bit fucked up, and you seem just his type.'

Nightwing grinned arrogantly, 'thanks for the advice.' He then took another cigarette out and lit it, only to pass her the pack afterwards. Never did he find out how much of an impression he'd made on the sorceress, after he'd left.

It was nearly dawn, and Nightwing knew that his friends must have been wondering where the hell he was. But as both Robin and Raven, he was never one to be detoured by his friends. And he would not give up until he ended what Slade had started. With Raven's consent and support, the inner Robin was ready to take the step that Batman never did. This would be Slade's last sunrise.

Upon entering the old rundown building that Jinx had sent him to, he saw that she had been telling the truth. Facing away from him, but obviously knowledgeable to his entrance, was Slade.

'I've been expecting you Robin,' said the man. 'I imagine that you want to kill me, am I correct?'

Nightwing never bothered to answer, or even correct him about the name. Instead the hero slowly moved to stand beside his once mentor and current enemy. From afar, the picture looked like one of a father and son. But the thickness of the air around the two only served to collect the tense feelings of the two. Someone would die this morning.

Uncharacteristically, it was Slade that attacked first. He knew that his opponent had the powers of Raven, and that if he did not aim to kill first he would be dead. Using a knife, he tried to pierce the darkly covered breast, but was deflected. His only hope was using close-range combat against the dark witch's powers, but that meant he would have to deal with Robin's strengths. So with a desperation he never showed, Slade fought for his life.

The fighters never saw the appearance of two beings high above them, but the Raven inside Nightwing sensed them. One was a woman that looked only a few years older than Raven was, her looked much like her also. And the other was Ghost who was bound by a magic leash that the other held. 'So I've finally found you little sister,' observed the newcomer.

'Can't you see that I'm busy?' Nightwing growled as he dodged a blow from Slade.

'This can't wait, it may be too late already,' answered the woman watching the two fight. 'Raven, you are sharing thoughts with the boy. You know that that is a sign of loosing one's self.'

Nightwing knew that everything that the woman had just said was true, but he was too lost in his mental rant of killing Slade. He'd finally cornered the masked man, using only his martial arts, and he readied to end it. The word "die" repeated in his thoughts, with both the voices of Robin and Raven saying it in unison. He was about to strike when the woman spoke again.

'This is for the best Raven, consider it an early Christmas present,' she said as the pulled on the leash around Ghost. Then, with great depravity, Ghost obeyed. And the slaughterhouse became lit with a bright white light.

'Where the hell have you been man?' Cyborg yelled. He had been surprised when he found Nightwing in the kitchen late in the morning. The others were still undoubtedly asleep from the late night, but he'd yet to recharge. Instead opting to wait for his changed friend for as long as he could. Part of him didn't like the new Nightwing, but that was probably was because he represented the nearing spiritual death of his friends. Plus, the new dark hero seemed to have made of all of Robin and Raven's bad points, making him hard to like. But out of loyalty, Cyborg had promised himself that he would make friends with him anyway.

Nightwing ignore his friend, as he poured a cup of hot tea. He then left the common room, heading to his own with an irate Cyborg on his heals. He only partly heard the complaints of his larger friend about his behavior, and ignored them anyways.

Cyborg was amazed at Nightwing's lack of response, even to him. So when the other left the common room, he followed. He hated sounding like a bitch, but he couldn't help but tell off the uncaring leader. He also fully intended to follow Nightwing into his room, to continue his banter without disturbing the others. But when the electric door opened, he was stopped short when he saw a woman in his teammate's bed. 'Raven,' he whispered in reverent surprise. He had wanted a better look, but the door shut and locked before he could move.

Richard Grayson sat gently on his bed, and looked at the woman who slept soundly within. Seeing her gave him so much joy, not just because they were free, but also because he'd missed her. When they'd shared a body, he now realized that they had been worlds away. Now he was able to brush a misplaced hair back behind her ear, which he treasured more than anything.

Raven awoke at the touch of her friend and saw that he held a cup in his hand. She let him support her entropy-ridden body so that she could take a sip, reveling in the experience that she'd missed so much.

When Raven was finished, Richard laid her back down softly and proceeded to change into a pair of boxers. He then crawled into his bed, and pulled her soft body against his. He'd missed this the most, being able to hold her warm body as he slept.

'I've missed this too Richard,' Raven said as she read his thoughts. With all of their experiences, they now knew everything about the other, making it easy to do so. She then used was little physical energy she had to gently kiss his collar.

Robin kissed the top of Raven's head in response to her kiss. Part of him wished to do more, but he would not take advantage of her weakened state… too much.

'So you got to see me naked,' he grinned evilly. 'When's my turn?'

End Part 3.


	4. Nothing Compairs to You 4

Nothing Compares to You

Part Four – Reunions

Cyborg was admittedly in shock after he'd found Raven in their leader's bed, he didn't know what to think. It probably didn't help that he was running low on energy. Of course he was relieved that his friends would be all right, though Raven did seem a bit weak even in sleep. But he knew that time would heal whatever ailed her, and apparently Nightwing would help. Did he still want to be called "Nightwing"?

As Cyborg made it to the common room, he was thankful to see his other friends were awake and about. Beast Boy was making a tofu breakfast in his apparent absence, and Starfire was watching him as he so "expertly" made human food. But each stopped when they saw their friend at the head of the room, slightly dazed looking.

'Friend Cyborg, have you not charged up yet?' Starfire worriedly flew over to him.

'Don't worry about it Star, I'll just plug in here, I don't wanna go to bed yet,' the metal man answered as he walked over the emergency re-charger they kept in the main hall.

'Dude, did Nightwing ever come home?' Beast Boy asked as he flipped a pancake.

'Yeah, and he brought a friend,' Cyborg almost collapsed onto the couch. 'So I'm just gonna park my shiny metal ass right here, until they come out.'

'Okay' the two younger Titans sweat-dropped.

It was another hour before the two birds finally made it to the main hall of Titan Tower. Richard was dressed as "Nightwing" as he carried the still healing Raven, all of her powers focused on freeing her from the entropy. When the others noticed their arrival, the excitement of the room tripled. Unfortunately when Starfire embraced Raven, she took her dark friend from Nightwing's arms, and then proceeded to drop her when she let go.

'Oh dear! Friend Raven I am sorry!' Starfire squealed as she looked down at her fallen friend.

'You okay?' Nightwing asked as he picked her up again and headed over to the couch.

'Yeah,' Raven answered slightly annoyed at being dropped. 'I can't completely control my muscles yet. My body just came out of two months of being in a void, it needs to get used to being used again!' she growled at Starfire and Beast Boy, who was desperately trying to hold back his humor.

'It's good to see that y'all are okay, but now it's time that I get some sleep,' Cyborg said as he patted both Raven and Nightwing on the shoulder. Then, with little more ceremony, he left for his room.

'So eh,' Beast Boy fumbled nervously. 'Why didn't you just fly?'

'Do you know how long it takes a normal human being whose body has not been properly exercised to heal?' the grass stain shook his head. 'At very least a few weeks, all my powers are going into healing.'

'I must say,' a voice from nowhere suddenly spoke. 'Your body is doing better than I expected.' Then a woman appeared before them, sitting coolly in the air. Her hair was dark and her skin gray, and upon her forehead were three jewels. 'Ghost's plan was well meaning, but wrong. To hide you within another so the bounty could not be gotten, she was being naïve.'

'Where is she now?' Raven demanded.

'Where she can feel no more pain, and be with her beloved,' the woman answered solemnly.

'You killed her!' Raven growled.

'A mercy killing, I assure you. Being without Poltergeist did horrible things to her mind, she went mad. I am amazed she had enough sanity to do to you what she did. If I hadn't killed her, she would've only gotten in the way. Battlegrounds are no place for poor creatures like her.'

'You're the one that helped us,' Nightwing finally observed.

'My goodness, I haven't introduced myself have I?' A dark cloud suddenly surrounded her, as lightning flashed from within. 'I am Tempest, eldest of Trigon's children! Ruler of the Western Lands of Hell!' Then, as suddenly as it all appeared, it disappeared. 'Well… Not really, though I'd like to be. My job really is just keeping track of all the siblings. You know Raven; you could've just asked for my help in the first place.'

'I wasn't going to expose my friend to Hell again,' Raven shot back.

'How many children does Trigon have?' Beast Boy asked.

'Well if you don't include Ghost and her brother, one hundred and seventy-five. Unfortunately dad got a hold of Poltergeist's powers, so we won't be at our complete strength.'

'You plan to kill Trigon,' Raven said tiredly. 'And who do you plan to get to take Ghost's powers, or do you plan to keep them for yourself?'

'I thought that since your friend here has the training, that he could fight by your side. At least that would create some good out of Ghost's plan,' Tempest said as she stared at Nightwing. 'He is strong, he would make a fine demon.'

'NO!' Raven screamed as a few items in the room exploded. 'And I won't help you either. I've locked Trigon out of my world, why should I replace him with someone who can freely enter this dimension and do harm?'

'But we need your help Raven, you are the only one of us to ever stand up to him and win. If you want, I will make a blood oath that the new leader will never come to this place,' Tempest said desperately.

'The Evil will go where it sees fit, you may not become the new King. What good would the blood oath be if one of the others were to come into power?' Raven asked.

'Then they will all make the oath also! You cannot ignore this, Raven you must help. I will find another to take Ghost's power.'

'No, I will take it,' Nightwing spoke up. 'This is my choice, and I will fight by your side Raven.'

'Richard no, please!' Raven begged, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. 'You could be killed!' a window exploded.

'Good man,' Tempest smiled. Then with no more said, she leaned her forehead against his.

'No!' Raven whimpered pathetically as more windows exploded.

'I can't believe I missed all this!' Cyborg bellowed as Starfire and Beast Boy finished their tale. 'And now look at the tower, we're so going to have to dig deep in the pot to fix all this!'

Tempest had made a calculated retreat, saying that she was going to gather the other siblings. But even Beast Boy knew that she feared the wrath of Raven. She'd been gone since she'd given the power to Nightwing, which was already five hours before.

Raven had taken Nightwing back to his room, the sudden flush of power healing her instantly. There he recovered from the near power overload. It was different than with Raven's powers, which were still a part of her as well as him when they were joined. But now he was forced to support his own completely, a feeling like picking up the fifty-pound weight after only practicing with the twenty-five.

The flavor of Ghost's power was different also, like comparing sugar to brown sugar. While Raven's power was wild like a caged untamed beast, Ghost's was more like a domestic dog. Strong but far more controlled, were Ghost's powers. He wondered if it was just the nature of the magic, or if it was a clue to Ghost's age. Could she have lived so long that she'd made them controllable?

Richard was so lost in thought, that he didn't notice the disappearance of his mate. But as he heard the sound of the shower in the adjoining bathroom, he knew her not to be far away. So he took to sleep.

'Wake up Richard,' a gentle voice cooed.

Opening his eyes, he was treated to a site most divine. Raven standing in the doorway of his bathroom, wet from the shower, and completely naked.

'Earlier you asked when it was your turn to see me naked…' she didn't have to say anymore.

End Part 4.


	5. Nothing Compairs to You 5

Nothing Compares to You

Part Five Personal Space Invader

Richard watched as Raven slowly stalked over to the bed, a heavy sway of her ripe hips. She was beautiful, with the perfect hourglass figure. Her hairless, ashy skin glistened with dew from the shower. And her heavy round breasts moved gently with the steps she took.

'Well,' Richard grinned as he situated himself into a more comfortable position. 'I never expected to get an answer so soon. I thought that you were mad at me.'

'How could I stay mad at the man that would be my savior?' Raven asked as she crawled onto the bed and over him. 'I think it's sexy for a man to have conviction, and to act on it,' she spoke lustfully, her body a breath from his. Slowly she pealed away his mask, revealing his hazel eyes looking at her lustfully.

Richard fell for her enticement and wrapped his arms tightly around her, bringing her wonderfully against him. He kissed her full lips passionately and let his had travel down her back to the lovely curve of her ass.

They both ignored the mayhem that Raven's power was creating, there was little to worry about within the room. Unfortunately in ignoring the chaos, they also ignored their visitor, until he made himself known.

'Well, well dear sister,' a jovial man spoke, shocking them out of their mood. 'We will definitely have to help you with that little problem. Otherwise a whole town may disappear after some good sex, or would you rather live without good sex?'

'Who the hell are you?' Richard barked, rolling them over so that his body hid her naked body.

'Oh nice butt!' the strange man commented as he stared at Richard's own nakedness. 'I'm known as Magpie, the fifty-second child of Trigon.'

Raven was desperately trying to control her anger, trying not to destroy the building. However before she could retaliate against their intruder, she were interrupted.

'MAGPIE!' screamed a woman as she appeared, her right hand covering her eyes as the other reached for her brother. 'What have I told you about watching people fuck? And she is your little sister for fuck's sakes! It's weird, even for a demon like you! C'mon!' she grabbed him and started pulling him away. Subsequently with her eyes still covered, she nodded to the general area of the other two. 'Sorry about this, though you should know that you've got company.'

The newcomer then continued to drag the strange man through the wall. The two demons were just slipping out of the room when Richard distinctly heard Magpie speak again, 'You're one to talk, your kind reproduce asexually most of the time.'

With the mood thoroughly killed and cremated, the two Titans dressed and went to greet their guests. When they entered the main hall of the tower, Nightwing was amazed to see it full of two hundred, plus people. The other Titans also seemed to be feeling the same thing, as they watched helplessly as the crowd got comfortable. Most of the beings looked very much human, but there were a few that didn't quite pass. There was one that was especially odd that seemed to like Beast Boy, resembling a reindeer with two pairs of antlers.

'Do I even want to know?' Nightwing muttered to Raven as he slightly nodded at the beast.

'I don't,' Raven said with mild disgust.

'We call him "Rudolf",' the voice of Tempest caught their attention. She was grinning at her own cleverness, and standing just a few steps below them. 'None of us care to pronounce his given name. Dad got really, really drunk fifty years ago.'

The three then walked over to the other Titans, who immediately greeted them with their complaints. Apparently the many intruders hadn't set off the alarm, which bothered Cyborg greatly. And the all of them had seemingly been molested by curious demons. But as Nightwing and Raven listened to their grievances, the entire room went quiet. Tempest stood with her arms raised, silencing the room for her speech.

'Brothers, sisters, and grandchildren,' her warm voice commanded. 'We are hear because the time has come to make a new King. Our father Trigon has ruled long enough, and must be replaced. All of us are both created and destroyed by him. He, who raped our mothers and ourselves, should not go unpunished! Yes he knows of our plan, he may even know what the outcome may be. However we have something that he never had, hope. We have the hope that he is tired and past his prime. We have the hope of his weaknesses; his children for one, he has only destroyed one of us before! And we have the hope of his conqueror; the youngest of us, fighting against him and winning!

'So we are now here, to claim our hope. Raven will only fight, if we all make an oath. No one can know which of us Evil will claim as its keeper, so it is an oath we all must make. This world that we all stand in now, must be protected. She has already fought to keep Evil from having a direct affect on this world, and she will not do it again. So unless we want her to fight alongside father, we will all take the oath that will take away our great powers if as the King, the one returns.' Tempest stopped and waited for the response.

'Why should we agree to protect this place, and not our own worlds also?' a voice from the crowd asked.

'Be quite Michel! You're only a grandchild, you don't get any say!' another voice yelled.

'I agree that the grandchildren have little say in the situation, considering we don't really need them to fight. Yet what Michel says is true, why shouldn't we make a pact to protect other worlds from direct contact of the King?' a serpent looking woman asked.

'Yes,' Tempest conceded. 'We will make an oath to protect all known good worlds from wrath of the King.'

'What of him?' asked another more human woman. 'What of the one who now has Ghost's power?'

'He is human, the power would never choose him as the next King,' Raven finally spoke. 'And I cannot deny him from his home.'

'It is your choice to risk but I warn you, you had better consider what will happen if Evil does choose him!' the woman replied.

'Then it is settled,' Tempest announced. 'We will all take the oath now.'

All of the visiting beings and Raven then started to glow with their power. The light that shown became nearly unbearable to look upon, but Nightwing watched anyway. He could see small orbs of power come from each of them, and join into one massive orb. A flash of blinding light fell upon them all then, blinding everyone momentarily.

'It is done. Two days from now the grandchildren will clear the way for us siblings to destroy our father and claim a new destiny!' Tempest announced with a smile. 'But for now let us celebrate our freedom to choose our fate, in this safe place!'

Everyone but the Titans cheered. Food and drink appeared from nowhere, and a group of five took out instruments and began to play.

End Part 5.


	6. Nothing Compairs to You 6

Nothing Compares to You

Part Six Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party

People danced and sang songs of long ago battles. Some spoke of romance as they drank their wine. Everyone got into the spirit of celebrating life, which come the next forty-eight hours, they may not have. Starfire was quite excited to have so many handsome men ask her to dance, and accepted most of them. Cyborg too got his own share of attention, all of the women beautiful and exotic. And Beast Boy got his share of offers, though annoyingly for him, most of them were from men.

'What do I give off a gay vibe?' he questioned both Nightwing and Raven, who both shook their heads to the negative.

'No "gay vibe",' Tempest said as she came closer to the three Titans. "But you're cute and innocent, a rare find in our world. Most of us reside in Hell, and to us you look like a sweet piece of ass.' She finished her flirting with a gentle pinch to his butt.

Everything began to get crazy, like a rave, but more animalistic. Bodies heaved and sweat, and they cried out like beasts. The music got louder, as did the yelling. More food and drink materialized, as did things that would be classified as drugs. Nightwing worried about the city and what they would think, but he fears were put to rest by Tempest who said that the city would sleep through it all.

The Titans should have expected it, but at some point, the party had become the "orgy from hell". As others danced, new guests appeared from the unknown, and paired up. Some of the siblings had disappeared, only to return with a lover or two in their arms. And even incest occurred in the openness of the revelry. Mating dances, born from their desperation to somehow continue on.

Thankfully there was some peace amongst the madness. A group of the oldest siblings, a few others, and the Titans all stayed in the kitchen area. Occasionally one or two of them would be invited to join the orgy, even Beast Boy, who declined due to nerves. But Nightwing wasn't at all surprised when Raven left, though none of the other Titans noticed right away.

'Poor child,' Tempest said quietly into her drink. 'Raven has so much working against her. She is the only the second child of Trigon, to be born of a human woman.'

'Who was the first?' Nightwing asked realizing that the conversation was being passed through their minds.

'You have already met him; the poor boy lost himself to madness so many years ago. He is perhaps the greatest of us all, but humans are not made to live as long as he has. To survive immortality, one must have few sentiments. But humans are relatively short lived creatures, and must have the necessary weapons to combat their enemy time.'

'You're talking about Magpie,' Nightwing confirmed. 'But I don't understand what you're talking about.'

'Emotions are what keep the human species alive. Without empathy, would you care for your children or anyone else? Without fear, would you keep yourself safe? Without greed would you make life better? Emotions are part of your instinct to survive. They make you do what the species needs you to do to survive as a whole. Without emotions, what is to make you mate and care for children before you die?' Tempest asked.

'But as an immortal being, we have little need for this. Of course we can be killed, but it is rare. We have no need to rush anything, because we have all the time in the world. But imagine if we were to fall in love so easily as humans. We would have our time with them and then watch them wither away and die, along with the children we created with them. Now imagine having so much time, that you can fall in love regularly.' Both of them mentally shuttered at the thought. 'All of those ups and downs much like a bipolar person.'

Nightwing did not need to ask where it was going. Someday, Raven would be as crazy as Magpie. Probably for at least one lifetime, but it made him wonder if he should continue to love her. But then if he didn't, her loneliness may drive her mad. It was a loosing situation, but which lose would be greater?

'Do not stop loving her, let her live happily while she can,' Tempest answered his silent wondering.

'Then are you saying that your kind don't have emotions? Then what do Ghost's powers react to? How do I use them?' Nightwing asked worried.

'We have emotions, but they are so weak that there isn't enough for our powers to connect themselves to. So instead they are connected to our thoughts. That is why Ghosts powers feel as if they have more control than Raven's did. I hope that you have a lot of imagination!' Tempest grinned at him. 'But don't get me wrong, they can be just as un-controllable as Raven's emotion controlled powers. If you think of something happening, it very well may, even if you don't really intend it to. I've watched nearly all of those here; unintentionally make someone die just because of a childish wish. Imagination and sheer will are your weapons.'

Nightwing thought that he could handle that. Then with a grin, he asked a question his vulgar teenage mind was dying to ask. 'So how did Trigon get so many children?'

'A hundred and seventy-seven children isn't "so many" when you stop to consider that he has been the King since before the beginning of your human history,' Tempest grinned at Nightwing's shock. 'I myself was born before the super-nova that created this galaxy erupted. There are many other worlds and dimensions out there, and it makes time very irrelevant.'

'I thought that you were Trigon's daughter?' Nightwing asked.

'I am, but he was alive long before he became King.'

'Hey,' Richard greeted as he sat down on the ledge of the tower roof.

'Hey,' Raven answered with a smile.

'Had an interesting talk with your exceedingly older sister,' Richard grinned. 'I've gotta say that she certainly is interesting.'

'Am I going to have competition for your affection now?' Raven asked, playing along.

'No. If I shacked up with her, she might take a nap that would outlast my lifetime. Where's the fun in that?' Richard joked. 'Least I know with you I know that won't happen.'

'I won't live longer than a few hundred years,' Raven said gratefully as she thought of Magpie.

'But I won't live even a quarter of that,' Richard worried again.

'Doesn't matter,' Raven said simply without any room for further discussion.

There were three souls that were still up when the sun rose that morning. All three of the warriors imagining the future that would soon come. It would only be a few more hours before they would have to leave this relatively peaceful world.

End Part 6.


End file.
